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Dining - aged care experience, not experiment

Posted 27 October 2016

Let's start talking about the dining experience in the same way we discuss the patient experience - that was the sentiment from a Celebrating Aged Care Week forum at the MCG.

The Delighting the senses: eat well, smell the roses and live longer event, presented by the VHA and the Public Sector Residential Aged Care Leadership Committee, featured speakers from diverse areas connected with food and aged care.

Keynote speaker, famed food entrepreneur Maggie Beer - who created the Maggie Beer Foundation in 2014 to improve the food experience for our older Australians – said the focus should be on the entire 'dining experience', and not just slopping food on a plate.

The social, nutritional, enjoyable, visual and appetising aspects of feeding aged care residents were of vital importance, she said.

“I believe food can be the catalyst for all change,” said Ms Beer, who was the 2016 Ambassador for Celebrating Aged Care Week. We want to de-institutionalise food in aged care and be an advocate for the difference fresh food can make.

“One of best triggers for happiness for a person with dementia is good food.

“I would like to challenge governments to fund wellness not illness. We need to change the way we spend money,” said the former senior Australian of the Year.

The PSRAC committee is a network of public sector aged care directors of nursing committed to improving public residential aged care.

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